2025 Employment Report
Columbia Business School graduates enter the global marketplace ready to make an immediate impact. With unparalleled access to innovative companies, leading practitioners, and the collaborative energy of our Manhattanville campus, they translate classroom learning into practice with confidence and purpose. Explore their career insights to see how a Columbia MBA empowers students to shape industries, influence change, and pursue meaningful success worldwide.
Student Profile
Columbia Business School looks for intellectually driven people from diverse educational, economic, social, cultural, and geographic backgrounds. Our students share a record of achievement, strong leadership, and the ability to work in teams. For more information on our MBA Class Profile visit Full-Time MBA Admissions.
A Note from Our Associate Dean
The Class of 2025 leveraged Columbia Business School’s deep industry access, global network, and hands-on learning opportunities to secure roles well-matched to their career goals.
This year, graduates accepted full-time positions with 346 organizations worldwide. More than 200 employers hired CBS MBAs for the first time, demonstrating the strength and continued growth of our recruiting partnerships. The class saw strong outcomes across Finance, Consulting, and Technology with significant momentum in Investment Management, Venture Capital and Real Estate, underscoring both the ambition of our students and the enduring value of a Columbia MBA. Our curriculum, which fuses theory and practice, empowers students to turn insight into action. CBS recent graduates are already driving progress in fields ranging from AI and climate innovation to healthcare and financial services.
The Class of 2025 reflects the innovation, collaboration, and global leadership that define Columbia Business School. I look forward to seeing their impact in the years ahead.
Warm regards,
Gracy Sarkissian
Associate Dean, Career Management Center
MBA Program of the Year
Building the Future
Columbia Business School didn’t just see the future coming — it decided to build it. While most business schools are still debating the role of artificial intelligence in business education, Columbia has sprinted ahead with one of the world’s most ambitious, multi-layered AI strategies. The centerpiece is CAiSEY, a voice-powered learning platform that has already changed how thousands of students prepare for class. It’s part of a sweeping effort to rethink curriculum, pedagogy, and even school operations around breakthrough technology.
Job Offers and Acceptances
Three Months After Graduation
92%
Student Receiving Offers
90%
Acceptances
Graduate Compensation Summary
Scroll left-to-right to read table
| Compensation Type | Receiving | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Salary | 100% | $175,000 | $450,000 |
| Signing Bonus | 68.9% | $30,000 | $218,000 |
| Other Guaranteed Compensation | 15.5% | $32,000 | $205,000 |
Data reflects students who reported compensation. Guaranteed compensation does not include tuition reimbursement, relocation compensation, carry, or nonguaranteed performance bonuses. These figures do not include students returning to a sponsoring/previous employer, starting their own business, or going to a family business in adherence to the Career Services & Employer Alliance's reporting standards.
Top Reasons Students Accepted Their Offer
92.6%
of students reported being satisfied or very satisfied with their job offer
Company Reputation
14.21%
Firm's Culture / People
14.21%
Advancement Opportunities
13.97%
Employment by Geographic Region
Region Breakdown
Serena Moss '25
Business HR Advisor, Pella Corporation
Graduate Compensation Report
Scroll left-to-right to read table
| Base Salary | Other Guaranteed Compensation | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % Offers | Industry | High | Median | High * | Median | %** | ||
Show Data
| 33.2% | Consulting | $250,000 | $190,000 | $150,000 | $30,000 | 76% | ||
| 3.7% | Consumer Products | |||||||
| 1.4% | Beverages / Food | — | $132,000 | — | $25,000 | 100% | ||
| 2.3% | Other / Diversified Products | $160,000 | $127,500 | $35,000 | $25,000 | 70% | ||
| 1.2% | Education / Government / Nonprofit | $120,000 | $100,000 | — | $7,750 | 40% | ||
| 35.4% | Financial Services | |||||||
| 1.5% | Consumer Finance & Analytics | $194,000 | $142,000 | $50,000 | $35,000 | 89% | ||
| 17.1% | Investment Banking | $225,000 | $175,000 | $125,000 | $50,000 | 91% | ||
| 6.8% | Investment Management | $290,000 | $175,000 | $215,000 | $75,000 | 76% | ||
| 4.5% | Private Equity | $400,000 | $175,000 | $205,000 | $137,108 | 42% | ||
| 2.5% | Venture Capital | $200,000 | $157,500 | $115,000 | $61,716 | 50% | ||
| 3.0% | Other Finance | $250,000 | $123,398 | $50,000 | $36,211 | 40% | ||
| 1.4% | Fintech | $199,600 | $172,000 | $100,000 | $25,000 | 80% | ||
| 2.9% | Healthcare | |||||||
| 1.6% | Pharma / Biotech / Devices | $175,000 | $147,500 | $58,000 | $30,000 | 88% | ||
| 0.7% | Providers & Services | — | $140,000 | — | — | 33% | ||
| 0.5% | Other Healthcare | — | $157,500 | — | — | — | ||
| 1.8% | Manufacturing | $125,000 | $110,000 | — | — | 20% | ||
| 1.9% | Media, Entertainment & Sports | $220,000 | $132,500 | — | $38,125 | 20% | ||
| 3.8% | Real Estate | $450,000 | $150,000 | $150,000 | $17,500 | 56% | ||
| 0.3% | Retail | |||||||
| 10.2% | Technology | |||||||
| 3.4% | Hardware / Software / Telecom | $225,000 | $170,000 | — | $13,100 | 25% | ||
| 3.7% | Internet Services / E-Commerce | $195,000 | $155,000 | $218,000 | $58,850 | 87% | ||
| 3.1% | Other Technology | $180,000 | $151,000 | $210,000 | $27,500 | 86% | ||
| 4.2% | Other | $300,000 | $190,000 | $35,000 | $15,000 | 29% |
To offer a more complete picture of Columbia Business School's graduating class, the employment report includes sponsored students. This report includes students who cited employment by three months post-graduation or August 21, with information collected through September 21.
For the purpose of rankings, the School submits data to ranking organizations and publications in adherence with CSEA standards, which ask that sponsored students returning to their employers not be included.
*Includes sign-on, year-end and other guaranteed compensation besides base salary but does not include tuition reimbursement, relocation compensation, carry or non-guaranteed performance bonuses.
**Reflects percentage of students reporting other guaranteed compensation within specified industry/function
Gary Hao '25
Product Strategy and Analytics, Instacart
| Base Salary | Other Guaranteed Compensation | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % Offers | Industry | High | Median | High * | Median | %** | ||
Show Data
| 40.1% | Consulting | |||||||
| 34.4% | Consulting | $225,000 | $190,000 | $150,000 | $30,000 | 76% | ||
| 5.7% | Internal Consulting / Strategic Planning | $200,000 | $170,000 | $70,000 | $25,000 | 68% | ||
| 37.6% | Finance | |||||||
| 2.1% | Corporate Finance | $175,000 | $140,800 | $59,000 | $25,000 | 100% | ||
| 19.1% | Investment Banking | $225,000 | $175,000 | $125,000 | $50,000 | 89% | ||
| 4.8% | Investment Management | $250,000 | $150,000 | $215,000 | $61,750 | 64% | ||
| 6.6% | Private Equity | $400,000 | $170,000 | $205,000 | $112,410 | 50% | ||
| 1.8% | Venture Capital | $200,000 | $170,000 | $115,000 | $61,716 | 67% | ||
| 3.2% | Other | $225,000 | $160,000 | $142,500 | $60,000 | 56% | ||
| 5.7% | Management | |||||||
| 2.5% | General Management / Leadership Development Program | $300,000 | $143,900 | $100,000 | $45,000 | 50% | ||
| 3.2% | Operations / Production | $220,000 | $142,800 | $54,300 | $19,050 | 55% | ||
| 10.3% | Marketing | |||||||
| 5.9% | Brand / Product Management | $220,000 | $135,750 | $218,000 | $35,000 | 83% | ||
| 2.8% | Business Development | $250,000 | $148,000 | $55,500 | $30,000 | 31% | ||
| 0.9% | Product Marketing | — | $130,000 | — | — | 33% | ||
| 0.7% | Other | $220,000 | $135,000 | — | — | 25% | ||
| 3.7% | Real Estate | |||||||
| 2.1% | Asset Management / Investments | $250,000 | $155,000 | $150,000 | $35,000 | 59% | ||
| 0.5% | Development | — | $175,000 | — | $78,500 | 67% | ||
| 2.7% | Other Functions | |||||||
| 0.7% | Law | — | $230,000 | — | — | 33% | ||
| 2.0% | Other | $195,000 | $130,000 | $108,000 | $15,000 | 64% |
To offer a more complete picture of Columbia Business School's graduating class, the employment report includes sponsored students. This report includes students who cited employment by three months post-graduation or August 21, with information collected through September 21.
For the purpose of rankings, the School submits data to ranking organizations and publications in adherence with CSEA standards, which ask that sponsored students returning to their employers not be included.
*Includes sign-on, year-end and other guaranteed compensation besides base salary but does not include tuition reimbursement, relocation compensation, carry or non-guaranteed performance bonuses.
**Reflects percentage of students reporting other guaranteed compensation within specified industry
Gary Hao '25
Product Strategy and Analytics, Instacart
/function
| Base Salary | Other Guaranteed Compensation* | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % Offers | Country | High | Median | High | Median | ||
Show Data
| 82% | United States | $450,000 | $175,000 | $218,000 | $40,000 | ||
| 7% | Asia | $350,000 | $95,976 | $137,108 | $23,994 | ||
| 5% | Central & South America | $300,000 | $89,442 | $110,000 | $30,000 | ||
| 4% | Europe | $170,000 | $112,234 | $170,000 | $61,944 | ||
| 2% | Africa & Middle East | $340,000 | $175,000 | — | $36,000 |
To offer a more complete picture of Columbia Business School's graduating class, the employment report includes sponsored students. This report includes students who cited employment by three months post-graduation or August 21, with information collected through September 21.
For the purpose of rankings, the School submits data to ranking organizations and publications in adherence with CSEA standards, which ask that sponsored students returning to their employers not be included.
*Includes sign-on, year-end and other guaranteed compensation besides base salary but does not include tuition reimbursement, relocation compensation, carry or non-guaranteed performance bonuses.
**Reflects percentage of students reporting other guaranteed compensation within specified industry/function
Gary Hao '25
Product Strategy and Analytics, Instacart
Top Employers
Class of 2025 Graduate Employers
* Includes graduates returning to sponsoring/previous employer
| Company | New Hires | Total Hires* |
|---|---|---|
| Boston Consulting Group, Inc. | 51 | 62 |
| McKinsey & Company | 36 | 62 |
| JPMorgan Chase & Co. | 22 | 22 |
| Amazon | 21 | 21 |
| PricewaterhouseCoopers | 18 | 24 |
| Bain & Company | 17 | 33 |
Show Full List
| Deloitte | 14 | 23 |
| Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC | 11 | 11 |
| Bank of America | 10 | 11 |
| Evercore Inc. | 8 | 8 |
| Citigroup Inc. | 7 | 7 |
| Lazard Inc. | 7 | 7 |
| Moelis & Company | 7 | 7 |
| UBS Group AG | 6 | 6 |
| Guggenheim Securities | 5 | 5 |
| Perella Weinberg Partners L.P. | 5 | 5 |
| AllianceBernstein | 4 | 4 |
| BlackRock, Inc. | 4 | 4 |
| Capital One | 4 | 4 |
| Ernst & Young Global Limited | 4 | 4 |
| IBM | 4 | 4 |
| L.E.K Consulting LLC | 4 | 4 |
| PJT Partners | 4 | 4 |
Explore CBS
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Current Students
Be inspired by guest lecturers, a multitude of speakers, and our Executives in Residence program as we bring the latest insights to campus daily.
Recruiters & Partners
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Downloads
Access a PDF version of the 2024 Employment Report here.
Historical Reports
View the 2023 Employment Report here.
View the 2022 Employment Report here.
View the 2021 Employment Report here.
View the 2020 Employment Report here.
View the 2019 Employment Report here.
View the 2018 Employment Report here.
View the 2017 Employment Report here.
View the 2016 Employment Report here.
View the 2015 Employment Report here.
View the 2014 Employment Report here.
View the 2013 Employment Report here.
View the 2012 Employment Report here.
View the 2011 Employment Report here.
View the 2010 Employment Report here.
View the 2009 Employment Report here.
View the 2008 Employment Report here.
View the 2007 Employment Report here.
View the 2006 Employment Report here.